I'm not usually a betting woman, but I would venture to guess that almost every woman has experienced what it's like to have PMS in some capacity. Whether it's feeling like you have a basketball in your belly, an aching back, cramps, insatiable cravings, or mood swings, we've all been there and it's not exactly a joy ride. Growing up, I, like so many other women, believed that getting was just a natural part of being a woman. For most of my life I was completely resigned to the fact that the week leading up to my period was not that enjoyable. And then.....I discovered one of the best-kept secrets there is; PMS is AVOIDABLE! Yes, you heard me right. We can absolutely avoid PMS by doing things to balance out our hormones (more of this in a sec). Now when I first learned this, I will admit, I was a bit outraged. I was outraged that this information existed my entire life, yet I was just finding out about it. I was outraged because I had been suffering all of these years when there had been a solution all along! But I also felt empowered for the first time in my life when it came to my period, because instead of just sitting back and allowing PMS and my period to rule my life, I could finally get into the driver's seat and take control of the PMS wheel. And I am so happy to be able to share with you today that I am living a life that is free of PMS and damn, it feels so good! So let's talk about how I did it, so you can do it too!
First, our hormones run the show in our bodies and our menstrual cycles. If our hormones are out of whack, things in our bodies, especially our periods, are going to be completely out of whack. So the simple answer to eliminating PMS is to keep your hormones balanced. If your hormones are balanced, PMS symptoms will go away and your period will run like clockwork.
So how do you balance your hormones? In this article I'm going to talk about the importance of proper nutrition, stress management, and digestion. These are three key players in the hormone-balancing game.
When it comes to hormone balance, what you eat can make a world of difference. Honestly, what you eat plays one of the most crucial roles in supporting your endocrine system (hormonal system) and maintaining harmonious hormone levels. Food truly is medicine and if you are eating the right foods and getting the proper nutrients your hormones need during each phase of your menstrual cycle, your hormones will reflect this. Certain foods are particularly beneficial for balancing hormones such as nutrient-dense options like leafy greens, colorful fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins, and healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and seeds. These foods provide the foundation for balanced hormones. And unfortunately, things like processed carbs, sugars, and processed foods do the exact opposite. So if you are wanting to have healthy hormones, and in turn, zero PMS, the first thing to focus on is getting proper nutrition. I would say for me personally, this has made the biggest difference. If you are wanting to learn more about which foods to eat during each phase of your cycle to support your hormones, I have Menstrual Cycle Grocery Lists available on my website, so it takes all of the guess work out! Check them out here: Cycle Syncing Grocery Lists | Awaken The Wild
Next up, we have stress management. If you are experiencing stress in your life whether it is internal or external stress, this is going to also have an enormous impact on your hormones. Internal stressors are things like not getting enough nutrition, not digesting your food, or getting enough sleep. Basically, anything that impacts the way your body functions. External stressors are things like work stress, family stress, relationship stress etc. When you are experiencing stress, your brain sends a message to your adrenal glands to pump out cortisol into your body, cortisol i the stress hormone. If you have too much cortisol in your body, your other hormones can't function as they should, specifically, the hormones that control your menstrual cycle. This is why stress management is so important for hormone balancing. We need our bodies to be able to produce the right amount of hormones that are needed to ensure our menstrual cycles stay on track and they can't do this if cortisol is running the show. In our crazy modern-day world, most of us can't completely eliminate stress, but what we can do is prioritize managing our stress levels. Doing things like daily meditation, going for walks, yoga, breathwork, getting enough sleep, journaling, and taking time for self-care, are all proven to reduce cortisol levels. So this is your sign to start making more time for yourself!
And the last thing I am going to cover in this article today is proper digestion. This is also a crucial piece of the hormone puzzle. Each of the hormones in our bodies has a job to do and once the hormone has done its job, it's time for it to exit the body. However, if our body can't properly break down the hormone and/or release it from our body, it ends up recirculating into our bloodstream which causes an excess of "dirty" or "used up" hormones. When we have too many "dirty" hormones, this disrupts the hormonal balance in our bodies and leads to things like PMS and painful periods. In order for our liver to break down the hormones and our intestine to allow us to poop them out, we need to make sure we are getting the right nutrients, so this also ties back to the importance of proper nutrition. However, this is where supplements can also come in handy to help give us an extra boost to stay on track. For example, Magnesium helps detox "dirty" hormones from our bodies. Not to mention it also helps with reducing anxiety, lowering cortisol levels, and eases period cramps. Here is a link to some of my other favorite hormone-balancing supplements jessica mckasson's Amazon Page.
To sum it all up, when we keep our hormones happy and balanced, PMS and period pain are absolutely avoidable. Focusing on our diet, making sure we are getting enough of the proper nutrients our bodies need, and working on managing stress levels, are the keys to ensuring your hormones stay happy and we can bid farewell to those pesky PMS symptoms. Remember, ladies, you have the power to create harmony within your body. So go forth, dance to your own hormonal rhythm, and conquer the world, PMS-free!
P.S If you are interested in learning more about Menstrual Cycle Syncing and a more indepin-depthth look at how hormones impact your cycle, check out my E-Book Your Synced Up Life:Everything you need to know to begin Menstrual Cycle Syncing.
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